Air float buffer head



Jan. 15, 1963 s. RICHARDSON AIR FLOAT BUFFER HEAD mm D mw M

Filed Sept. 5, 1961 United States Patent Office 3,072,942 Patented Jan.15, 1953 3,072,942 AER FLOAT EUFFER HEAD Sam Richardson, 382 Kings Road,Brisbane, Calif. Filed Sept. 5, 1961, Ser- No. 136,039 1 laim. (Q1.1598) The invention, in general, relates to floor maintenance equipmentand more particularly relates to a buffer head which is especiallyefficacious for polishing floor surfaces having undulations therein atrandom areas thereof;

In the art of scrubbing or cleaning and polishing of floors, whetherconcrete or wooden floors, there have been developed in the past aconsiderable number of different types of both automatic power operatedand manually operable cleaners and polishers, the latter including apower driven rotatably mounted head. Most, if not all, of these priordevices have required preliminary washing of the floors desired to bepolished with soap and water, which is appreciably expensive not onlybecause of the labor and time employed in the soap washing operation butalso because of the cost of the soap and other materials required forwashing and rinsing. Moreover, these prior devices have been foundineffective in the great number of cases where undulations are presentin the floor surfaces, especially in concrete floors, because of theincapability of the polishing equipment to properly enter cavities orother recesses of the undulatory surfaces. The present invention isdirected to the provision of a floor polishing machine which reduces thepolishing expense to a minimum by virtue of the elimination of the useof soap and which obviates the disadvantages inherent in prior floorpolishing devices.

A primary object of my invention is to provide an air float buffer headfor removable attachment to floor polishing equipment which affords ayieldable engagement with a floor surface and which accomplishes thepolishing of a floor surface simultaneously with the scrub-cleaningthereof.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an airfloat buffer head of the indicated nature which is additionallycharacterized by the inclusion therein of a removable protective casingthus increasing its durability and the longevity of its use withoutreplacement of components.

A still further object of my present invention is to provide an airfloat buffer head for cleaning and polishing devices which is relativelyinexpensive to manufacture and to maintain.

Other objects of the invention, together with some of the advantageousfeatures thereof, will appear from the following description of apreferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that I am not tobe limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor the precise arrangementof the various parts thereof, as my invention, as defined in theappended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention in operative position and showing its applicability tothe polishing of an underlying undulatory surface.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevational view of a preferredembodiment of my invention separated from the floor polishing equipment,per se.

FIG. 3 is bottom plan view partly broken away to illustrate theconstruction of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a reduced, perspective view of the buffer head with itsremovable casing.

In its preferred form, the air float buffer head of my present inventionpreferably comprises, in combination with a portable polishing deviceincluding a rotatable body and means for rotating said body, a yieldablepad detachably secured to said body; said pad having a plurality'ofpassages therein arranged in spaced relationship to one another andopening to the bottom of the pad and being adapted to rise and fall whenmoved over an undulatory surface,.and a protective casing envelopingsaid pad; said casing having a plurality of breather holes or ventstherein for affording a breathing action within the casing uponundulatory action of the pad when moved over an undulatory surfaceduring a surface polishing action.

As particularly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the annexed drawings,the improved air float buffer head of my present invention has beendesignated generally by the reference numeral 11 and it is to be notedthat such buffer head, per se, is detachably mounted upon a body 12which is keyed or otherwise securely fastened to the shaft 13 of amotor, shown schematically and designated by the reference numeral 14,which is supported on a cradle bracket 16 onthe lower end of a shaft 17.The shaft, bracket and motor just described are standard components ofconventional portable cleaning and polishing equipment, port-.

ability being rendered thereto by means of castors 1 8, as shown, whichare rotatably mounted upon cradle bracket 16. As is customary, asuitable flexible cord 19, containing electrical conductors, not shown,is provided for connecting motor 14 of the equipment, through plug 20 ofthe cord, to a source of electrical energy, not shown. As indicated andas shown in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of my present invention hasbeen devised especially for use in polishing undulatory surfaces, as at21. However, it is to be understood that the preferred embodiment of theinvention shown has equal applicability to the polishing of Wood floorsas well as the concrete wavy surfaces 21 shown in FIG.- 1. Conveniently,the body 12 is detachably secured in operative position on the polishingequipment by means'of a metal disc 22, which is keyed or otherwisesecurely fastened to the motor shaft 13, as well as by means of screws23 which pierce the metal plate 22 and deeply enter the body 12 whichpreferably comprises a cylindrical block fabricated of plywood.

In accordance with my invention, the air float buffer head 11 preferablyis made up of two main components; namely, a circular resilient pad,which is designated generally by the reference numeral 26 in the annexeddrawlugs, and an enveloping jacket 27 therefor. Such two components 26and 27 are conveniently detachably mounted on the bottom of the body 12of the polishing equipment by means of an intermediate circular plate 28which is preferably fabricated o-f masonite'or the like, as well as bymeans of screws 29 which pierce the top of the jacket 27 from the insidethereof as well as the circular plate 28 to deeply enter the body 12through the bottom thereof. The resilient pad 26 preferably isfabricated of sponge rubber and is so fashioned as to provide throughoutthe entire area thereof a multiplicity of passages 31 which are closedat their inner ends and which open to the exterior of the pad at thebottom thereof. The jacket 27 preferably is fabricated or manufacturedof water-proof canvas and is rendered openable by a zipper element 32having a talon 33 thereon for facilitating the opening and closing ofthe jacket 27, when desired. In addition, the jacket 27 is formed with aplurality of openings or vents 34 therein which are circumferentiallyarranged in spaced relationship to one another about the jacket andabove the zipper element 32, a particularly shown in FIG. 1 of thedrawings. Thus, the combination of the passages 31 of the resilient pads26, which are open at the bottom, and the vents 34 of the jacket 27afford a breathing action to the air float buffer head of my presentinvention as it is moved over a surface, much in the manner of theaction of the human lungs. This breathing action materially assists themovement of my improved air float buffer head into and out of recessesin an undulatory surface and the building up of a polished wax surfacewhich not only is attractive but smooth and non-slippery.

As shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2 of the annexed drawings, thebufler head as an entity may be rotatably mounted to the shaft 13 ofmotor 14 by securing a centrally apertured circular metal plate 22 tothe motor shaft 13 with a pin 37 extending through the plate 22 radiallyto bear upon the periphery of shaft 13 and by fastening the metal plate22 by means of a plurality of screws 23 directly to the body 12 of thepolishing equipment. A suitable switch, not shown, can be mounted on thehandle 17 of the equipment in the customary manner for opening andclosing the electrical circuit, not shown, containing motor 14 forstarting and stopping the same, at the will of the operator.

The showing in FIG. 2 of the annexed drawings indicates the manner ofusing my improved air float bufler head for scrubbing a floor beforepolishing the same; the scrubbing action requiring the use of aconventional nylon pad or disk 41 which is of slightly larger diameterthan the diameter of the canvas casing on jacket 27. As shown, thescrubbing disk 41 is not attached to any component of the portablecleaning and polishing equipment but is merely placed on the floor to bescrubbed, and the air float buffer head 11 of my invention is disposedon top of the disk. With the units so disposed, and with the motor 14 inoperation both the underlying disk 41 and the buffer 11 will rotate and,at the same time, the equipment can be moved freely about the floorbeing scrubbed because of the mounting of the equipment on the castors18. The frictional engagement between the bottom of the jacket 27 of theair float bulfer head 11 and the underlying scrubbing disk 41 preventsdislodgement of the disk from its operative scrubbing positionunderneath the buffer head.

In order to clean and maintain, as well as polish concrete tile flooringwith my improved air float buffer head, it is only necessary first tosweep the floor thatis to'be cleaned and polished so that it is free ofgrit and grease. Then, using a small water sprinkling can or a smallsprinkler head, sprinkle clean water lightly over the cleaned floorsurface. No soap or detergent should be used with the water, whether insolution therewith or whether sprinkled on the floor. The advantages ofmy improvement is the elimination of soap or detergent as vneither isneeded. Then, with the disposal 'of desired quantities of wax at variousareas of the particular floor being polished and with the scrubbing disk41 in position under the air float buffer head 11, start motor 14 andmove the scrubbing and polishing equipment over the floor area with theair float buffer head 11 and underlying disk 41 in rotation. Thebreathing action of the butter head 11 will cause the scrubbing andpolishing components of the equipment readily to enter recesses in thefloor and will cause the polishing wax to build up in such recesses. Theair float buffer head 11 polishes as it scrubs. As a final step, andusing clean water spread over the surface, mop up all excess dirty waterand let the floor dry thoroughly and mop on wax freely to a high polishwhich will be bright and evenly spread over the entire surface.

It is clear from the foregoing description that the present improvementprovides for ready replacement of worn out components. Should theresilient pad 2% become deteriorated and lose its resiliency, it is onlynecessary to manipulate the zipper 32 of the casing or jacket 27 andremove the worn out pad 25 and replace it with a new pad and then closethe zipper 32. Obviously, a new jacket 27 can be substituted for a usedjacket at any time. Similarly, a new scrubbing disk 41, which isavailable on the market, can replace a worn scrubbing disk. Forexpediting a scrubbing and polishing action on any given floor, thepre-sprinkling of the floor with a sufficient water head can be omittedand such sprinkling action can be accomplished concurrently with thescrubbing and polishing operations by using a sprinkler attachment. I donot mean to infer, however, that the air float buffer head hereindescribed and claimed can not be effectively employed without such lastmentioned attachment. Reference to such water sprinkler attachment ismade solely because of its effectiveness in reducing the time forscrubbing and polishing any given floor area.

It is to be understood that the appended claim is to be accorded a rangeof equivalents commensurate in scope with the advances made over theprior art.

I claim:

In combination with a portable surface polishing device including arotatable body and means for rotating said body, a cylindrical jacketconsisting of a top and a bottom and a wall between said top and saidbottom, means in the wall of said jacket for opening and closing thesame, a plurality of fasteners piercing said top of said jacket andpenetrating said body for fastening said jacket to said body, and ayieldable pad within said jacket; said pad having a plurality ofpassages therein opening to the bottom of the pad and said jacket havinga plurality of vents in the Wall thereof in spaced relationship to oneanother and circumferentially about said wall to establish communicationbetween said passages of said pad and the exterior of said jacketthereby permitting said pad to breathe and to yield when engaging asurface to be polished.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,650,385 De Michel Sept. 1, 1953

